Iupati fulfills family's plan of American dream

NEW ORLEANS Mike Iupati's parents moved their family from American Samoa to Orange County when he was 14 years old. It wasn't easy for any of them.

But Aposetolo and Belinda Iupati had a dream — the American dream. They came to the U.S. so their children — sons Junior, Mike and Andrew, and daughter Fionna already had left the islands — could have a better education and a better life. They were willing to make whatever sacrifices were necessary to realize that dream.

The least Mike Iupati could do to repay his parents was hold up his end of the bargain.

“We were struggling when we first came here, living paycheck to paycheck,” Iupati said this week from New Orleans, where he'll start at left guard for the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

“For me to be successful and not to live that lifestyle, that was my goal.”

Iupati has pulled it off, going from football novice at Western High to All-American at Idaho to first-team All-Pro with the 49ers. And he's just getting started.

‘UNLIMITED' POTENTIAL

Iupati has started every game for the 49ers since they selected him with the 17th pick in the 2010 draft. He keeps getting better. But he's nowhere near as good as he can be.

“Mike is just scratching the surface,” said 49ers offensive line coach Mike Solari, who described Iupati's potential as “unlimited.”

“Physically, he's gifted,” Solari said. “He's a big man who can run, who can move. He has natural strength. As he grows as a football player, gains even more knowledge, maturity and experience, you'll see a player who's ascending.”

Iupati has improved his technique and awareness. But he's still learning his craft. That's to be expected from someone who didn't start playing football until his sophomore year of high school.

Iupati's first big break came when another NFL-bound Samoan, senior Fili Moala, got hurt. Suddenly, Iupati was playing varsity ball for Western, mostly as a defensive lineman. His instructions were simple: “All they told me was, whoever has the ball, go tackle him.”

Iupati was raw but determined. As he has with the 49ers, he kept improving. As legend has it, he beat all five offensive linemen en route to sacking the quarterback as a senior against Los Altos of Hacienda Heights.

“I don't think I've ever seen that happen,” Western coach Toby Howell recalled. “And Los Altos was a good football team. They were no slouch.”

Iupati flashed NFL ability, but his mailbox wasn't overstuffed with college offers. Academics were an impediment; as with football, Iupati was behind the curve when it came to English.

Iupati had an offer from Arizona, but he didn't have the test scores to go there. He considered junior colleges before deciding to attend Idaho as a Prop. 48.

“Mike's never had it easy to get where he is,” said Odell Harrington, a former assistant at Western who now coaches at Golden West College.

“The route he ended up taking wasn't an easy path by any means.”

As a nonqualifier, Iupati couldn't play football his freshman year at Idaho. Nor did he have a scholarship. His parents had to take out loans to pay his tuition. Far away from home and unable to play football, the perpetually positive Iupati felt out of sorts.

“It was tough,” he said. “I wanted to transfer out. For some reason, something told me to stay.”

It was a prudent decision. Iupati caught up academically and became a three-year starter. He also met his future wife, Ashley, after a home game against Hawaii; her cousin played for the Warriors.

Mike and Ashley married last February. They have a 6-month-old son, KoaAli'i. They'll be at the Superdome on Sunday, along with Iupati's parents and other family members, 17 in all.

MAN OF THE HOUSE

Sitting at a table in a hotel ballroom, his gigantic, tattoo-covered arms jutting out from his tight-fitting, red 49ers jersey, Iupati leans back and laughs.

Iupati is massive, listed at 6-foot-5, 331 pounds. But he's isn't a kid anymore. He's a full-grown man, providing for his loved ones. Iupati, 25, bought his parents a house in Corona. They don't have to work anymore.

“That's what so special about this kid,” Harrington said. “He never looked at the NFL for the individual accolades. All I remember him saying is, ‘If I make it, I'm going to take care of my family.' I never remember him saying anything about himself.”

Even in high school, Iupati was unusually driven. One of the options to raise funds for the team was to sell ads for the game-day program. Each player had to sell $200 worth to reach his quota. Iupati sold $800 worth.

“That shows you what kind of a guy he is,” Howell said. “He just goes above and beyond.”

Iupati watched his parents do the same. Although they're financially set now, thanks to their son, they might move back to Samoa, Iupati said. His dad, a former mechanic at LAX, is in his early 60s and still can work. The language barrier makes that difficult here.

“That's what their whole goal was,” Iupati said. “The goal was to bring us here, (stay) for 10 years, and move back after we're all successful.”

One of their sons will start in the Super Bowl on Sunday, turning a family's dream into a wonderful reality.

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